Big C 17 Transport Plane Lands In Antarctica
A fully loaded U. S. Air Force C17 Globemaster III aircraft from McChord Air Force Base, WA lands, drops off cargo, and then takesoff at Phoenix Airfield in Antarctica. The Army Corps of Engineers built the compactedsnow runway after 16 continuous months of construction. The runway was designed using a compaction technique to modify the deep snow using heavy rollers weighing up to 160, 000 pounds, to change the snows strength properties from its natural state creating a denser, higher strength snow foundation (32 inches deep) that can withstand the impact of a C17 landing. And, in this particular case, the Phoenix runway was designed to withstand approximately 60 wheeled flights a year. Film Credits: U. S. Navy Video by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cosmo Walrath Released
|
|